Understand

Perm (Russian: Пермь) is a large industrial city situated on the Kama river banks, at the western foothills of the Ural Mountain range. The city was founded in 1723 by Vasily Tatishchev, who was sent by Peter I to exploit the vast amounts of ores found in the region. The city was named Molotov (Мо́лотов), after Vyacheslav Molotov, the minister of foreign affairs under Jozef Stalin.

"Cultural Revolution" started in Perm in 2008. A lot of budget money was invested in organizing of cultural events and establishments. Many major figures, such as gallerist Marat Guelman, conductor Teodor Currentzis‎ and designer Artemy Lebedev started to work in Perm. The city is changing very fast, and now it's one of the major cultural centres of Russia.

Get in

During Soviet times, Perm was a closed city to foreigners as well as to non-residents to a great extent. After the fall of the Communist regime in 1991, Perm rapidly modernised, causing an increasing demand for public transportation in and out of the city.

By plane

Perm has an international airport called Bolshoe Savino (IATA: PEE; ICAO: USPP), maintaining international flights from Frankfurt (with Lufthansa) and several CIS capitals such as Dushanbe and Yerevan. Bolshoe Savino airport is the hub of Perm Airlines. Perm Airlines, Aeroflot, SkyExpress, AviaNova and S7 Airlines to Moscow (5-6 times per day to Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports), St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Surgut, Sochi (Adler) and Samara. In summer, charter flights are operated to Dubai, Munich, Tashkent and several destinations of the Turkish riviera.
Perm's second regional airport Bakharevka now mainly serves as a helicopter airport.

By train

Perm-II station is an important junction on the Trans Siberian Railway and therefore very well served by train. There are many daily trains to Moscow, among which Perm's brand train called "Kama", as well as other major Russian cities.

By car

Although Perm lies on the "Siberian Trakt", the main motorway from Moscow to Siberia, its roads are no different from most of Russia's road network — of poor quality.

By bus

The central bus station of Perm, located on Shosse Kosmonavtov opposite the central market, mostly serves destinations in the province. Furthermore there are daily connections with Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Izhevsk and Chelyabinsk.

By boat

Perm is accessible through its Kama river port. Passenger transportation limits to recreational cruises to Chaikovsky, Kazan, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Volgograd. Cruise companies tend to sell return tickets only.

Get around

Getting around in Perm is not very easy for non-locals. Distances tend to be great given the fact that the city stretches along the Kama river. Getting from from one end to the other often requires changing buses and/or trams multiple times. Tram costs 12 RUB and bus 12 RUB, regardless the number of stops. Changing bus or tram, however, requires buying a new ticket. Tickets are sold by conductors only. The city, although spaciously built, is increasingly coping with heavy traffic, especially its vast centre.
However, Perm has a well-developed bus and tram network serving the whole city including its most distant suburbs such as Gaiva and Kur'ya.
Perm airport Bolshoe Savino is served by bus routes 35 and 42. Public transport works from 05:30am until 12:30am.

See

Green Line (unique walking tour over Perm), information office, Lenina st, 50, [1]. Take free maps in the tourist information office or download them from the site. The tour includes about 40 places of interest. Following the guide you will see unusual sculptures and historical buildings, places connected with famous Russian artists and scientists.

PERMM (Perm Contemporary Art Museum), Ordzhonikidze st., 2 (in the building of the old river port opposite the Perm-I train station), ☎+7 (342) 2199172, [2]. 12:00 — 21:00. The first and the only contemporary art museum in Russia. Catalogue of public art program.Entrance usually costs less than 100 Rub. (58.020556,56.251389)

Motovilikha open-air museum, (located at the Square of 1905 (north of the centre)). boasts an impressive collection of warfare made in the city's Motovilikha factories. There, you are looking at tanks, scud launchers and ballistic missiles.

Do

Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, Petropavlovskaya st., 25a, [4]. One of the oldest and famous opera and ballet theaters in Russia, offers high-standard opera and ballet events.(58.015975,56.246052)

Snow, Ice and Fire Festival, (Park Gorkogo, located halfway Komsomolsky Prospekt). The festival boasts an international ice and snow sculpture competition with teams from all over the world competing. It takes place in February.

Learn

Work

Buy

With the city quickly developing, new shopping malls appear everywhere. Definitely worth seeing is the always crowded Central Bazaar, with uncountable kiosks and market stands, as well as huge market halls. The bazaar is located opposite the central bus station, at the very beginning of Kosmonavtov avenue. Perm also has a Chinese market, with mostly clothing being sold.

Eat

Budget

Blinnaya Skovorodka (literally: "Blini Skillet")
This is a chain of restaurants in Perm (with a few in Kurgan) serving blini with pretty much anything you want in them...jelly, apple, ham, cheese, etc... Cheap and delicious, it will add a few inches to your waistline but not dent your wallet. Link to website (in Russian)

Mid-range

Splurge

Drink

There is a lot of cafes in the city, all of them serving also food specialties. One of the most popular bars are the Coffe City chain (Кофе Сити).

Sleep

There are a number of suitable hotels in the centre.

Hotel Amaks Premier (ОтельАмакс), [14]. (formerly "Turist") on Ordzhonikidze street is a good choice for leisure and business tourists. This mid-sized hotel was completely renovated in 2006-2007. The staff speaks a number of foreign languages, including English, Italian and French. The Kama boulevard, central shopping street Komsomolsky Prospekt and the "Chaikovsky" Opera & Ballet Theater are on walking distance. The hotel has a large bar/restaurant with a very affordable a la carte menu next to its modern bowling facilities. Small swimming pool with sauna/banya in the basement.

Hotel Ural (ОтельУрал), 58, Lenin street, ☎+7-(342)-218-62-20 (fax: +7-(342)-236-34-54), [15]. It's Perm's largest hotel. Apart from a wide choice of room classes, the hotel offers a wide range of facilities. Although parts of the hotel were thoroughly renovated, it still has a grey Soviet look.

Hilton Garden Inn Perm (ОтельХилтонГарденИннПермь), 45B, Mira street, ☎+7-(342)-227-67-87 (hotel@hgip.ru, fax: +7-(342)-227-67-87), [16]. The hotel is located only 15 minutes by car from the Bolshoe Savino (PEE) Airport and 10 minutes from the city centre. Stolitsa, one of Perm's largest shopping and leisure centers is adjacent to the hotel.

Next to hotel Ural lies the Prikamye Hotel (ОтельПрикамье). Although the hotel is quite large, it offers very little facilities.

New Star Hotel (НоваяЗвезда), ул. Газеты «Звезда», 38-Б (east from the railstation Perm II), ☎+7-(342)-220-68-01 (info@newstar.perm.ru), [17]. , (opened 2006) is a more upscale hotel. Prices are also upscale. The hotel stands on Gazety Zvezda Street. Since the building is among the tallest in the area, the top floors offer panoramic views over Perm's skyline.Double room: from 4300 rubles (2009).

The Gabriel Hotel (ГабриэльОтель), [18]. , which stands on Kirova street is also a very nice place to stay. Everything is taken care of!

There is some nice and small mini-hotels, for example Astor Hotel, 40, Petropavlovskaya St., Perm, 614045, ☎+7 (342) 212–2–212 (booking@astorhotel.ru), [19]. , on Petropavlovskaya street in the center (new name of Kommunisticheskaya street), which claims to be the first 3 stars certificated hotel in Perm.

Zhemchuzhina Hotel Complex (Жемчужина), ул. Бульвар Гагарина, 65-А, ☎+7-(342)-261-90-91 (book@pearl-perm.com), [20]. , (“the Pearl” — in translation), opened at the beginning of 2008 is a more upscale hotel. Prices are also upscale. Central location of the hotel as well as its proximity to the highways makes it possible to get to any point of the city. The hotel stands on Gagarina Blvd. 65a. It is the 10-storeyed hotel building .Standard Premium room: from 3500 rubles (2009).

For world-class stay, although not located in the center but close from a big shopping and entertainment center, the city also hosts a Hilton, 45 B Mira Street, Perm, Russian Federation 614022, ☎+7-342-227 67 87, [21]. .

Contact

Stay safe

Visitors have very little to worry about in Perm when sticking to common sense. Pickpocketing is common in the crowded public transport and in the Central and Chinese Bazars. Occasional drunkards may be somewhat annoying but rarely pose any menace. It is wise to stay out of city parks during the night time, particularly the huge Balatovo Park. Reckless drivers are probably the biggest threat regarding safety.

Cope

Get out

Khokhlovka is a museum of wooden architecture, 30 minutes driving from the center of Perm.

The Gulag Museum at Perm-36, village Kutchino, Tchusovskoi region, ☎+7-919-492-5756, [22]. 10AM-5PM. 100 km north-east of the Perm city, the prison camp Perm-36 was closed in 1988, and later turned into the only genuine Gulag museum in Russia. There is a small cinema and a few exhibitions describing life in the high security area and in the special treament area.